[Animagus]

I was wanting to post my impressions of Lime Ears new flagship - Anima and noticed that there was no thread for Anima yet and most of Lime Ears IEMs' impressions and discussions were split between multiple threads. So, I thought I'll start a Lime Ears Master Thread where everyone can post impressions of any Lime Ears IEM, including the new flagship - Anima.

For people who haven't seen Lime Ears' announcement of Anima and its tech yet, here it is copy pasted from their social media -



FACEPLATES
First extraordinary things that one would notice are Bello Opal faceplates. This material truly is the king among lab-grown opals. The extremely complex and precise manufacturing process gives it an awesome play of colour, impossible to find in any other material. Lab-grown opals are physically almost identical to natural opals, which is why they’ve gained such a reputation and can be found in masterpieces of jewellery around the world. Every piece is unique, with crystals of different shapes and sizes.
Spirit of „A” captured in ever-changing colour play.

THE NOZZLES
Another thing your sharp eyes will notice are the nozzles. They’re unlike any others. Think of them as crucial elements between the drivers and your eardrums, like a tiny room housing your speakers. Every listening room needs precise geometry and special finishing materials to bring out the best in your audio.
Let’s dive deeper into both of these aspects.

GEOMETRY
After dozens of simulations and prototypes, based on our VariBore™ technology, we finally came up with the Organic Horn Nozzle™. The gradual change in the shape ensures matching impedance and suppresses the resonances you get with traditional straight-tube models.
As the old saying goes: “Everything is in the details.”

THE MATERIAL
But what about the material? After dozens of trials (and errors), we realized the significant role material plays in the final timbre and imaging. We needed some sort of mass to ensure the weight and clarity of the low end while ensuring the perfect transfer of high and ultra-high frequencies. The manufacturing technology, including a considerable amount of hand-processing, leaves the inside of the horn slightly textured. Combined with the geometry, this texture enhances the reflection and dispersion of high and ultra-high frequencies, directing them straight to your ear. Silver oxidizes over time and changes like its owner. Sorry… did we not mention the nozzles are made of pure silver?

ORGANIC HORN NOZZLE™
Look a little closer, and you’ll notice precisely selected areas where signals from different groups of drivers are added to the sound mixture.
First come the ultra-high frequencies, provided by electrostatic drivers—no filtering, no tubes. Ultra-high frequencies pass through the nozzle in the shortest, most efficient way possible.
The ultra-highs are joined by mid and high frequencies, dispersed precisely by the extraordinary horn geometry.
Last but not least come the lows, sub-lows and infra-subs, delivering their powerful impact via the narrowest bore.
These nozzles are painstakingly made by hand by combining 3D, jewellery-grade wax printing and precision metal casting. The magic is in the mix….

HYBRID LOW-END TECHNOLOGY
After long conversations with audiophiles worldwide and dozens of trials utilizing both balanced armature and dynamic drivers for low end, we came up with an idea: what if we took the punch and clarity of Balanced Armature subwoofers and perfectly combined them with the weight and low-end rumble produced by our 7mm Titanium-Diaphragm Dynamic Driver?
Without a carefully designed crossover, it wouldn’t be possible to ensure the phase coherence that bridges these two technical worlds.
We called it BADD™ Hybrid Low-End Technology.

ULTRAHIGH TWEETER TECHNOLOGY
Electrostatic tweeters are animals that need to be properly tamed. We went with ultra-high quad drivers to ensure maximum output in the highest part of the spectrum, maintaining the lowest possible distortion. The remaining drivers are coupled with a high-impedance crossover section to make the ultra-high frequencies run in optimal conditions. That is why Anima would greatly appreciate DAP or DAC with a little bit more headroom than your average smartphone.

THE CABLE
Very important element: the cable. We chose graphene-coated silver-plated copper cable with a hundred and forty-four strands to maintain smoothness, detail, and extraordinary staging. It demonstrated ideal synergy with the sound of the Anima. This handmade work of art was further customized with crushed Bello Opal particles by the amazing artists at @vikingweavecables

THE CROSSOVER
We mentioned the crossover. Developed from the ground up, extremely complex yet causing zero complications for the signal. Perfectly matching drivers in tribrid technology. The crossover precisely splits electrical audio signals to produce the most pleasant and coherent sound right where it meets your eardrum.

One 7mm Titanium-Diaphragm Dynamic Driver for infra-sub frequencies
Two Balanced Aarmature Drivers for subwoofer frequencies,
Two Balanced Aarmature Drivers for low frequencies,
Two Balanced Aarmature Drivers (vented) for midrange,
Two Balanced Aarmature Drivers for high frequencies
Four Electrostatic Drivers for ultra-high frequencies

THE MAKING
The extreme complexity of Anima required exceptional designing practices. This is where computer-aided design (CAD) and the state-of-the-art manufacturing process meet. Every element is perfectly matched and hand-finished to the highest standards. In the ANIMA manufacturing process, wax 3D printing, waterjet cutting, pure silver casting, resin 3D printing, laser engraving and CNC cutting with hand assembly, point-to-point soldering and hand-finishing come together to give birth to every truly magical Anima experience.


ANIMA WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM APRIL 1st. 2022

 

[Animagus]

Hey guys! Here is my review of Lime Ears' new €3400 flagship 1DD+8BA+4EST tri-brid IEM - Anima, with comparisons to previous LE flagships Pneuma and Aether R as well as IEMs from Empire Ears, Vision Ears and 64 Audio, whatever I could do with the time I had on hand since I've been keeping very busy with work. Will add more as soon as I can. Let me know if you're interested in comparisons with specific IEMs. I'll try making it happen if I've heard them or try getting my hands on a unit.. Happy reading, cheers!

Lime Ears Anima
​

 

[Animagus]

A couple of our readers asked for more ear tip comparison graphs of Anima. Here's one with BGVP Y01 and A07 tips.

 

[GoldenSound]

@skedra let me borrow his pair of the Lime Ears Anima for a night whilst we were in Munich and I have to say I was REALLY impressed.

Lots of IEMs impress for a sort of 'party trick' reason. Stuff like MEST MK2 with its bone conduction driver, or Helios with it's immense subbass reach. (I love both of these IEMs, but part of the reason I love them is BECAUSE of their party trick aspects).

But what was so impressive about the Anima was that it didn't feel like it was trying to do any one thing in some over the top or overly impressive manner. It was just...a really, really good IEM, with a comfortable tuning, that I could listen to just about anything on.

I didn't at all find myself gravitating to any particular genre, I just shuffled and enjoyed and every track that came on sounded wonderful.


The Anima were impressively resolving without coming across as 'technically focused', and had a combination of very enjoyable, ever so slightly dark tuning combined with tight and controlled lowend that provided what can simply be described as an excellently well-rounded, capable presentation.
Nothing felt lacking, nothing felt like it was trying too hard, these were just damn good and they knew it.

Really hope to spend some more time with these in future!

 

[skedra]

I'll preface everything I say, @doctorjuggles and I made the cables which come with the ANIMA, so while I try not to be biased I'd rather say it than be called out later on

I think @GoldenOne said something I very much agree with, the ANIMA is definitely a 'party trick' kind of IEM, instead, I feel it goes for a more mature approach to both tuning and technical performance. In terms of sonics, to me it has a slightly W signature, albeit balanced well, so nothing is really lost or left behind, rather, it adds a bit of excitement to the music.

The bass is fast and controlled, I'd call it more subbass focused with less punch and more "BA" like presentation in the midbass. That's not necessarily a negative but it's something to be aware of, ANIMA will never have a thick and weighty midbass presence. Having said that, it isn't lacking bass, rather it prioritises speed and technical performance over weight and "fun".

The midrange has a bit more focus on the lower midrange with a relaxed upper midrange. This to me makes for an easy listen, with no shoutiness or excessive zing. I don't think the presentation is entirely natural, however, the timbre is still kept well in check. Technical performance is still excellent with fantastic texture, detail and speed.

The treble is among the best I've heard on anything, including over-ear headphones and speakers. It's smooth, yet sparkly with a crazy amount of detail and presence. To me, this is a well implemented EST/BA combo, which is rare. I find that a lot of IEMs which only use EST drivers for the treble lack bite and sparkle, or, are too smooth and to put it bluntly, boring. Lime Ears did an excellent job here, and I'm pretty sure their special nozzle design has something to do with it.

Finally, imaging and soundstage. I'd call both pretty excellent, the soundstage is vast and images are placed very accurately with a lot of air around them (at least partially thanks to the very airy treble). The stage "range" is also quite impressive, the ANIMA can get from intimate to wide without issues.

Anyhow. I won't go over the cable for obvious reasons. But in terms of the whole package, I feel like Lime Ears did a good job, providing a good quality case, adapters for multiple terminations and multiple tips based on feedback from people who heard them pre-release.

One thing worth mentioning is the fit or rather, the size of the ANIMA, it's a big IEM with thick nozzles. This means it definitely will not fit everyone. Another thing to mention is tips change the sound of the ANIMA considerably, I personally ended up using a size smaller than usual spinfits as they were the best balance of comfort and sound to me. I didn't like any tips with a narrow nozzle as they seemed to remove at least part of the treble magic I mentioned early, however, anything with a larger nozzle generally worked (my second favourite were the moondrop spring tips).

To close this off, people who know me well would know that I wouldn't partner/work with anything I didn't believe in, and I do think ANIMA is a great IEM and I'm proud to have been part of its story

 

[rantng]

@Deezel177 's THL review - https://theheadphonelist.com/lime-ears-anima-midnight-tides-an-in-ear-monitor-review/

 

[Rockwell75]

Some impressions I shared when I had the Anima on hand about a month ago...

The Lime Ears Anima are a highly technical, decently fun, non-fatiguing, pleasantly transparent, highly engaging mid focused IEM. Mids are nicely textured, clear, open, inviting, detailed. Shades of Jewel (balance), EXT (soul) and Odin (raw technical prowess) here. These remind me a lot of the Elysium also in terms of midrange focus and openness. Male vocals (Avicii - Wake Me Up) are really nice. Female vocals (Pointer Sisters - Automatic) are sultry and seductive. Stage is nice & deep and quite holographic. More technical than EXT in terms of detail in the layering but less bodied and doesn't give you that "embraced in a warm cocoon of bodied natural 3-d mids" feeling that EXT does. After a time I gave up trying to compare and just started to groove to and enjoy the Anima on its own terms, which is a good sign. I held off looking into anything about these IEMs before receiving the tour kit so upon listening to them I went in totally cold. The first thing that jumped out at me was holy sh1t these are top tier IEMs. I was kind of expecting something in the $2K range- these are not that. Right away I was really impressed with the depth of the stage and that the bass (Daft Punk - One More Time) can kick hard and deep and make me feel it in the deepest depths of my chest. Still trying to figure out the bass response on the whole though...texture and timbre are great but a few times I've wondered if it's got enough consistent oomph & body for me. The longer I listen the more I zone out and become completely immersed in enjoyment with them which, again, is a great sign. About an hour in now and they continue to impress me over multiple genres-- not a false note or ounce of fatigue or weirdness yet. They are rather enchanting actually-- there is a really nice refinement in the tuning. The mids and the wholeness & balance of the whole presentation are really winning me over. I'm in the middle of a very busy week and traveling down island for a couple days of meetings then back here to start researching a major project for my Masters...so I might not get much time for sustained listening over the next few days. (I haven't even looked at the other two yet.) The Anima are really impressing me out of the gate though and are promising to be a great introduction to this brand for me.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Anima soon moving on to the next Head-Fier @Tokpakorlo

To give it a last try before I ship it out though - What’s everyone’s favorite tip pairing? So far the closest I’ve come to really liking it is on Spinfits, even though it can venture a bit into sibilance territory there

On other tips I find the treble and bass to be too suppressed compared to the midrange

Tried it off the N8II, LPGT, Ti and S2

 

[gryphonos]

I must say that I am very impressed by the excellent reviews of the Anima written by @GoldenOne, @skedra and @Rockwell75.

At Highend in Munich I had the chance to hang out with @doctorjuggles and @mvvRAZ and to meet @skedra and @GoldenOne In person. Again I have to express how much I enjoyed the day on Highend with these cool and experienced guys. from whom I could learn and experience a lot.

@doctorjuggles let me borrow his Lime Ears Anima and @mvvRAZ let me borrow his N8ii. Although I cannot keep up with the above reviews I want to contribute my modest and very early (30 min) impressions of the Anima, because they have left deep impressions on me which are largely consistent with those in the previous reports.

I noticed very early on that I really enjoyed just listening to the music and not paying attention to any particularly eye-catching features. I felt drawn into the music which caused an immersive perception of the music. I have to agree with @skedra, that the Anima “goes for a more mature approach to both tuning and technical performance”. Anima sounded quiet balanced to me, incorporating a slight W shape signature.
What I liked was the fast bass, present mids and the aireness of the highs and the speaker-like presentation.

I do not exactly remember the tips I used, but I think @doctorjuggles can.

All in all I can say that the Anima was so convincing, that it could likely be my next iem acquisition. Even more so if it will available as custom in the future.

Thanks.

 

[Aerael]

Some impressions I shared when I had the Anima on hand about a month ago...

The Lime Ears Anima are a highly technical, decently fun, non-fatiguing, pleasantly transparent, highly engaging mid focused IEM. Mids are nicely textured, clear, open, inviting, detailed. Shades of Jewel (balance), EXT (soul) and Odin (raw technical prowess) here. These remind me a lot of the Elysium also in terms of midrange focus and openness. Male vocals (Avicii - Wake Me Up) are really nice. Female vocals (Pointer Sisters - Automatic) are sultry and seductive. Stage is nice & deep and quite holographic. More technical than EXT in terms of detail in the layering but less bodied and doesn't give you that "embraced in a warm cocoon of bodied natural 3-d mids" feeling that EXT does. After a time I gave up trying to compare and just started to groove to and enjoy the Anima on its own terms, which is a good sign. I held off looking into anything about these IEMs before receiving the tour kit so upon listening to them I went in totally cold. The first thing that jumped out at me was holy sh1t these are top tier IEMs. I was kind of expecting something in the $2K range- these are not that. Right away I was really impressed with the depth of the stage and that the bass (Daft Punk - One More Time) can kick hard and deep and make me feel it in the deepest depths of my chest. Still trying to figure out the bass response on the whole though...texture and timbre are great but a few times I've wondered if it's got enough consistent oomph & body for me. The longer I listen the more I zone out and become completely immersed in enjoyment with them which, again, is a great sign. About an hour in now and they continue to impress me over multiple genres-- not a false note or ounce of fatigue or weirdness yet. They are rather enchanting actually-- there is a really nice refinement in the tuning. The mids and the wholeness & balance of the whole presentation are really winning me over. I'm in the middle of a very busy week and traveling down island for a couple days of meetings then back here to start researching a major project for my Masters...so I might not get much time for sustained listening over the next few days. (I haven't even looked at the other two yet.) The Anima are really impressing me out of the gate though and are promising to be a great introduction to this brand for me.

Thanks for the impressions! How would you rate Anima in terms of sheer technicality against Odin? Sure, Odin has more high mid presence which might give the impression of it being more revealing...but how do transient speed / micro detail, and bass speed compare? Thanks!

 

[SeeSax]

First, huge thanks to @Rockwell75 for handling a small tour of the Anima, which gave me a chance to hear these IEMs first-hand. I am coming up on the end of my listening segment and they'll soon be off to the next member, so it's time for some impressions (and that sadness I feel when I have to let something go that I really like)!

First thing that struck me about the IEMs long before listening was the beautiful construction and build quality. These are on the larger side no doubt and fit has been a bit of a challenge for me. The way they're designed, they seem to sit pretty far outside my ears and don't give a very secure feeling. Although, I'm finding a great seal with my trusy Spiral Dot++ tips, so no complaint on sound or comfort, just that they're large and definitely not a set-it and forget-it experience. With that out of the way, I love the sound of the IEMs. I find the bass to be the star of the show for me, and I think Lime Ears really achieved what they set out to do with a limited scope DD handling the sub-bass and BAs doing the rest. In general terms, I really get that deep, rumbling sub-bass in tandem with punchy, fast mid-bass from the BAs. I really like the innovation here and applaud the listening experience of the bass. It's not a bass-head IEM or anything, but it's a fun W-shape as others have mentioned and that's my ideal signature.

I hear the mids being geared toward clarity with plenty of air, potentially with lower mids being slightly more full than upper mids. Compared to something like my Mason RH, they sound more transparent and neutral. Vocals have great texture, but I wouldn't say they carry much added weight. For me, I really like the tuning and while it's not the most natural sound, it certainly provides a large amount of detail and clarity (again, my preference). Another comparison point I can offer is with the Noble Sultan, which sounds a touch veiled in comparison in the mid-range (though some could argue a more "emotional" experience).

Treble sparkle and energy is right on point for me. I find these somewhere in between the Sultan and Viking (been comparing to my Nobles, sorry!). I understand that these have BAs and ESTs handling the treble, and again I think Lime Ears got this approach right. There's a small heft to lower treble, while providing great energy and sparkle. Into the upper treble, I hear a light, airy response that soars into the highest registers (confirmed by my dog who can easily hear up to 300khz I'm sure). But really, the treble overall gives a sense of clarity that paints a holographic picture over the whole frequency range. Clarity is the theme for these and while again the timbre doesn't come off as overly natural, I just love the way these present effortless detail and precision. On a technical level, I'm going to say these are up there with the very best I've heard. That includes the Noble Viking, Aroma Jewel and Oriolus Traillii.

I find myself really wanting a pair of these and I know how that story goes (I'll probably buy them after thinking about it for the next 12 minutes). Other details worth mentioning is that these seem to take a lot of power. On my N8ii, I reached volume levels I haven't before on other IEMs. Not a bad thing, but just something to note on the source. Listening out of the Lotoo Paw S1, I didn't find the engagement factor overwhelming. Out of my iDSD Signature and N8ii, these things rock. Oh, did I mention it's one of the best stock cables I've seen? @doctorjuggles and @skedra working their magic there and I'm including a special side-by-side with this cable's big brother

I'll aim to get some listening in with the other Lime Ears IEMs this weekend, but the Anima has really stolen the spotlight for me and I am probably going to accept the fit challenge and add these to the arsenal.










-Collin-

 

[Animagus]

I'll aim to get some listening in with the other Lime Ears IEMs this weekend, but the Anima has really stolen the spotlight for me and I am probably going to accept the fit challenge and add these to the arsenal.

Nice write up Collin! You can always go the CIEM route if the UIEM shells seem big. Luckily I have big ears and they fit me really well but the faceplates do protrude out a bit. I really like the soundstage with the ear tips fit at the first groove of the nozzle.

 

[Aerael]

Hey people, I found something interesting!

If you -- like me -- liked the original Aether's tuning, especially its treble presence, I thought it might be interesting to know that the whole mid section (basically the core part for any IEM's timbre) of Anima is astonishingly similar to the OG Aether's! So much so in fact, that I personally would almost call it an Aether 2.0. See below!

Sorry about the muddled up picture. Please compare the ORANGE (original Aether) and the YELLOW (Anima with Spinfit) lines. The main differences are pretty obvious:
(The other lines are neon pink for Aether R and salmon red for other Anima tips, this is @Animagus's main picture, combined with crin's graphs, axes perfectly aligned.)

A) Anima has added upper treble (which was indeed objectively lacking in Aether, however much one might subjectively like relaxed treble). It's basically only addition beyond 10kHz, which will add mostly shimmer and above 15kHz, only air, upper harmonics. Such added treble would not alter the general character of an IEM substantially. (One might try a hi cut EQ at a crazy slope like 48db/octave at -3dB @ 10kHz...sure, muffled, vintage-y, but the tuning character stays basically intact). The 8kHz elevation in both is what drives their slightly zingy, very present treble clarity which we all loved in the OG Aether.

B) Aether's upper bass is much more pronounced, causing it to sound more bloomy (or boomy, how I see it). While their sub bass is basically on par (2dB is not that much of a difference), there is much weight in the mid bass of Aether that is omitted in Anima. Compared to Aether in BASS OFF / DOWN position, weight is shifted from the upper bass to the sub bass (compare lower picture). One of the main critiques (in many reviews and by many individuals) of Aether's bass region was that it was generally lacking in off position and too boomy in on position. What did Emil at @Lime Ears chose to do? Elevate the sub bass, cut the mid bloom slightly (compared to bass OFF Aether, that is). "BOOM" (pun intended), solved both issues!

A nice relevant piece of trivia is that in one of the reviews, Emil is said to have said that he finally achieved a major part of his vision of sound with Anima's tuning.
Given that the Aether was their first TOTL piece, their first serious reach for perfection so to say, I find this highly relevant for this comparison.

I can't wait to be able to hear Anima in person. I've been re-reading this thread and other material to an unhealthily obsessed degree, lol.
Especially as I have very accurately mapped my tuning preferences with EQ, audio test curves for flat perception and from the graphs, Anima seems to hit those a lot better compared to more Harmanesque IEMs like Odin or Elysium X. Especially the non-flat mid section, interestingly.

Bass UP / ON Aether in orange:

Bass DOWN / OFF Aether in orange:

 

[Dynamo5561]

Hey guys!

Joining the thread to share some early impressions. Got a demo unit from https://audioessence.ch/ Thanks to @TomKorn !

Testing with spinfits and aet07 tips.

As stated by others, the Anima follows a w-shaped sound signature which makes it engaging. The sound in general is very rich. In my oppinion it still manages to stay in fairly neutral territory. Nothing peaks out noticably. Less on the warmer side, more neutral or a tad bright.

The bass is very good. I like that they use a DD for the sub-frequencies and 2 BA drivers as well. You get the decay of a DD bass and the detail retrieval of the BA drivers. That makes the bass really textured while maintaining the DD typical bounce. The subbass is elevated and gives some authorotive character to the sound. The bass does not bleed into the mids at all. It's nicely separated from the rest of the spectrum. 9-9,5/10

I am still trying to understand my impressions on the mids and need some more time to assess it in more detail. Keep in mind my critique is on a very high level and should not be overrated. I am nitpicking here.

There is a dip in the lower mids which is not that much audible to me. But the elevation starting early from 800HZ and maybe the amount of drivers makes the upper mids lively / chaotic(?), a lot is going on there. That makes a lot of songs sound not as they probably should in that area. To clarify, there is no upper mid issue like on the Odin and it's not fatiguing. But the instruments are not that separated there as at the other frequencies. Positively speaking it makes it more smooth and "musical". Otherwise the IEM could probably be perceived as artificial as bass and treble are very distinct. Additionally it makes female vocals also "sharper" (what I like). Don't know what to score at the moment. There is good and bad about the mids. Need to listen to more tracks in my playlists.

The treble is great. Well extended and airy frequencies with the 4 est-drivers are a dream. They are never sibilant and very enjoyable. They are not silky as for example on the Traillii, but they have a unique quality to them which makes them a 10/10 for me.

The soundstage is quite expansive and to a certain degree holographic. No issues with that at all.

The detail retrieval is very good. Bass and treble details are outstanding, mids are hard to evalute due to the issue described above.

The timbre is not realistic or organic. I was already expecting that based on the amount of drivers that were used and the w-shaped signature. But it does not sound incoherent!

So far I would say the Anima is very good for modern genres and excel in these. It's in the champions league of IEMs as also stated by others. I am considering replacing my Odin with the Anima as a complement to my Traillii. Not sure yet, need to see how the mids issue evolves for me. A great IEM for sure.

 

[bigbeans]

Hi everyone. Thank you @Rockwell75 letting me participate in the tour, it was a lot of fun to discover what the folks at Lime Ears are up to. I have some brief impressions on the Anima, Pneuma, and Aether R. Test equipment includes DMP Z1, P6 Pro Obsidian and Hugo 2 Go.

Anima
Anima is characterized by its overall 'unnatural clarity' with excessive sparkle in the treble and scooped out mids. The sound is brittle, dry and unnatural. I tried valiantly to find the midrange, yet it remained elusive. The bass impact is on the reserved side, and lacked the sub bass impact needed to balance out the sparkly estats. The quality of the bass was detailed and fast. The coherency between the BA and estats was impressive, the crossover for this was well thought out. The treble was too airy, lacked extension
For those familiar with 2 channel, this set reminded me of Quad electrostatic speakers. For those who wish to examine music, this set may appeal to you. I found the Anima tries too hard to impress with a 'hifi' style sound and adds up to an artificial presentation. Listening and enjoying to music on this set is challenging for me, compared to Aroma Audio Jewel which is a an absolute delight for my tastes. I did prefer Empire Ears Odin to Anima, however I would need to A/B Odin and Anima to elucidate detailed differences.
In summary, I think a retuning is needed. The technicalities are there but it seems to be a 'throw at the wall and see what sticks' approach with the sound style. Anima sounds like a set to impress folks for a few minutes at a show. Jack of all trades, mastery of none.

The supplied cable with Anima is fantastic, shout out to @skedra with immaculate build quality and ergonomics.



Pneuma
My favorite of the three (by far). The coloration is slightly too warm and bass heavy for my tastes, but is a refreshing cup of hot chocolate after swallowing ice shards (Anima). The standout feature of Pneuma is the warm tuning combined with phenomenal bass slam, adding up to an 'old school analog' experience. Pneuma provides a toe tapping engagement I haven't had from an iem in a while. The coloration of the sound has a tube like warmth with thickness in the midrange that adds to the body of the music. This iem will help you develop an intimacy with the music, seductive and fun at the same time. The tuning is made to deliver an engaging smooth experience, with no offending characteristics.
Puzzlingly, Pneuma comes with bass switches to dial up the sub bass. I feel this set doesn't need bass boost. Activating the bass switch drowns the music in bass and bleeds into the midrange, masking much of the music. If I using Pneuma as a workout earbud, perhaps I would have appreciate the switch. If anything, Pneuma could benefit from a 'neutral' switch which dials back the warmth and sub bass (just a tad). I'm thinking about a CIEM Pneuma, a shocking turn of events after experiencing Anima.



Aether R
In short, take away the bass impact of the Pneuma, make the tonality ice cold, dial back the midrange presence, add spicy treble and you have Aether R. My least enjoyable iem in a while. This set is definitely neutral, however it is the least enjoyable neutral I've encountered. The 'top heavy' treble combined with lack luster bass and midrange that is harder to find than a discount code for Sennheiser HE1 adds up to a head scratching experience. I'm not sure how Lime Ears arrived at this tuning. If used strictly for monitoring, I could give some leeway, but I recall my experience with LCD X which provided an excellent balance of musical enjoyment and accuracy.